Black does not hide blue. Blue is dominate over black, so a black bird cannot carry the blue gene. It would be expressed, and the bird would be blue......
Ameraucana thread for posting pictures and discussing our birds
- Thread starter hcammack
- Start date
I don't think that I would have a splash pen. I would use the third pen for another family of blacks, or blues, whichever you want to concentrate most on, and do a matriarchal rotation to keep from breeding brother to sister....If I wanted to keep splash too, I would keep the ones from the blue pen and put them in a layers pen. If you really want to keep a splash cock bird, you might just use him on the blue hens once in a while.....
I apologize, but I don't exactly understand this. Are you saying that a black bird out of a blue to blue, or blue to black would carry no blue in future mating. Again, I am not questioning your knowledge, I am just trying to learn to expand mine.
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As I understand it, a blue carries one copy of the diluting gene. A splash has two. Each bird in the mating contributes one gene so if you breed two splash together each one has two copies of the gene, they will each pass one copy guarantying that the offspring will be splash. Two blue bred together each has only one copy that they may or may not be passed down. So if each pass one gene you get splash, if one passes the gene and the other does not then the offspring will only have one copy (so blue offspring). If nether one passes down a copy of the diluting gene then the offspring will be black and does not have the gene to pass on to any offspring. They will always produce black. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.
\They will always produce black if mated with another black. Sounds like a great explaination to me!
One thing I don't understand is why some here do not suggest mating splash to black to get blues? Some well respected breeders have said they get their best blues from that pairing. What's the downside?
Yeah I read something like that too. Also some breeders don't suggest using blacks with blues if you want good quality blacks. But if blacks don't have the blue gene why would they be lower quality?
I always heard you got your best blues from blues. Kind makes me want to test out every possibility under the sun
Correct, a black bird does not have the blue gene. Jonsccm's explanation is right on. You can not get a blue from a black to black breeding. If they carry the blue gene, they will be blue. If they carry two of the blue (dilute)genes, they will be splash... just to confuse you more, it works different with other colors because blue is an incomplete dominate, but it is always dominate over black....wish I was smart enough to post a punnett square, it might make it easier to see....
Getting over my head, but I'll tell you what I have read from some of the top breeders on the ABC forum. The best blacks come from a gold based black. That is what gives you the green sheen that is desirable in black birds. The best blues come from silver based birds and I don't know why they say that, but they do say that breeding blues to blue is the best way to maintain good lacing, if you can ever find good lacing. Most all blues except the Andalusians, do not have lacing, they have what is called egding. Compare a laced wyanndotte . Very pronounced, dark lacing. The thinking is that by breeding blues to blacks, you lose one of the genes that creates the lacing. You will still get a blue bird, but it might have edging, and not lacing... several people are working to get the lacing back in the blues...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/73357/color-genes-punnett-squares. Try this link for punnett squares....
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